Human+Nature at the Morton Arboretum

Last Monday (August 9) we visited the Morton Arboretum to view their new outside art exhibit, Human+Nature. The five large sculptures by South African artist Daniel Popper explore the connection between people and nature, especially trees.

The most visible of the pieces is "Hallow". It's near the Visitor Center and lake and is easily viewed from accessible Meadow Lake Trail. The sculptures look like wood, but are made from fiberglass, concrete, and occasionally metal, over a steel frame. A short video on their construction can be seen here.

The scale of the sculpture is more apparent when people are in the picture!

There are two more pieces on the West Side.

"Umi" is derived from an Arabic word for "mother".

While you are not allowed to climb on the sculptures, you are encouraged to walk through them and touch them.

"Sentient" was my least favorite piece.

The West Side has two more sculptures.

As you look at the split face of "Heartwood",  the interior has cross-sections of the central portion of a tree (the "heartwood") on the right and fingerprints on the left.

Another view of Heartwood.

The final sculpture, "Basilica" is a pair of hands connected by roots or vines. While today the word basilica brings up images of churches of special significance, in Roman times, a basilica was a meeting place that was rectangular with one rounded end used for assemblies or courts of law. (Thank you, Google).

Basilica as seen from the side.

We also came across two other "sculptures" near the official Human+Nature ones.

We came across two "chairs" or "thrones" made from the stumps of removed large trees (sycamores?, oaks?). It was a challenge (especially for me) to get into the high seats.

Storm King Art Center

Just around the corner from West Point, NY, is the Storm King Art Center - a 500-acre outdoor museum dedicated to large-scale sculpture. Currently there are about 100 pieces scattered over the grounds, presenting new sights at every bend.

The landscape is an integral part of the presentation. In the foreground is "Adonai" by Alexander Liberman. In the background is "The Arch" by Alexander Calder.

Meadows of native vegetation mix with the art. The red sculpture in the background is "Mother Peace" by Mark di Suvero.

Lava flows? Dripping candles? Monsters? This fountain, "North South East West" by Lynda Benglis, (only half is shown) is near the Museum Building on top of Museum Hill.

Also on Museum Hill are these two sculptures by Ursula von Rydingsvard, "Luba" (left) and "For Paul" (right). They are made from blocks of cedar wood.

"Free Ride Home" by Kenneth Snelson is anchored at only three points, with the aluminum tubes and cables creating a system of internal structural tension, dubbed "tensegrity".

"The Crisis" by Rashid Johnson is a short-term exhibition through November 8, 2021.

One of four parts of "Waiting for UFO" by Nam June Paik has three Buddhas and televisions tipping on their side. The other three parts are found nearby, but are clearly distinct groups.

"Eyes" by Louise Bourgeois has four eyes on each side of the piece. They light up at night.

Some pieces are all about perspective. When we first encountered "Endless Column" by Tal Streeter, we saw it straight on (center photo) and it looked like a column with alternating sections of color. As we changed perspective, we realized that it really was a zig-zag column and the color differences were shadows.

Lon captured yet another perspective by looking up from the base.

"Black Flag" by Alexander Calder also looks totally different from different locations.

Most of the pieces are definitely "hands-off", but some, like "Suspended" by Menashe Kadishman, absolutely demand physical interaction.

"She" by Mark di Suvero has "kinetic" parts and even a swinging deck. The large roller and hanging anchor also move.

And finally, my favorite piece: "Fallen Sky" by Sarah Sze is built into the southern side of Museum Hill. To me, it looks like a large, eroded telescope mirror. (The artist might disagree!)

We only got to about half the grounds on this trip, so that leaves more to see next time.

Early Summer Wildflowers in West Virginia

We almost always see interesting wildflowers on our Monday hikes. Our June 28 hike was no exception.

Mountain Wood Sorrel (Oxalis montana).

Ramps (Allium tricoccum). Ramps are mostly known as an early spring strong onion-y/garlic-y culinary treat. After the leaves have withered away, the flower head appears on a leaf-less stalk.

Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis). Everything about this plant is toxic - leaves, stems, roots - except for cooked ripe berries.

This common weed, Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is another plant to be avoided. Like its cousins Cow Parsnip and Giant Hogweed, the sap contains chemicals that make skin extremely photosensitive, resulting in large blisters. (I had personal experience with this as a child - the yellow flowers made a lovely bouquet, but I paid for it later!)

Nothing about False Hellebore (Veratrum viride) reminds me of a true hellebore.

Maybe you could see a slight resemblance in the flowers?

For comparison, here's a photo of one of the hellebores I have in my shade garden. Hellebores are unusual in that they start blooming in the winter.

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) are just about done for the year. I liked the variegated effect of this mayapple leaf as it finishes its work this year.

Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) - also called Oswego Tea.

Cranberries (Vaccinium spp.) in the Cranberry Glades are tiny plants with tiny flowers - only about 1/4 inch (5-6 mm) across. The cranberries are increasingly difficult to find - wild strawberries (the prominent leaves in the photo above) have just about completely taken over the ground cover.

Pitcher plants (Sarracenia purpurea) were prominently abundant this year. While not native to West Virginia (they were illegally brought here many years ago from further north), they thrive in the bog environment.

While the flowers were very visible, most of the plants were too far off the boardwalk to see the "pitchers", which are the basal leaves of the plant. The plants extract their nitrogen needs from the insects that get trapped in the pitchers.

The Cranberry Glades are noted for their orchids. This is the Purple-Fringed Orchis (Habenaria fimbriata).

Grass-Pink Orchid (Calopogon pulchellus).

A Day in West Virginia

On June 28, the Monday Morning Hikers traveled to West Virginia to do three short hikes in the Marlinton area.

Red Spruce Knob

This easy 2.5 mile (round-trip) hike was through a spruce "fairy forest" to a small overlook.

The moss was several inches thick - soft and damp.

Spruce forest.

Someday I'll learn how to take a photo of the spruce "fairy forest" that fully captures the lush greens. (Today was not that day!)

A small opening at the top of the knob is maintained as an overlook.

Remnants of the long-gone fire tower on the knob.

Honeycomb Rocks

Not too far from Red Spruce Knob is a very short (1/2 mile) trail that showcases a set of unusual rocks that have tumbled from higher up the mountain.

Fractures in the sandstone were filled with iron-rich hematite. The sandstone then eroded away, leaving this box-like structure.

Cranberry Glades

The Cranberry Glades boardwalk (1/2 mile loop) is always worth a visit. Each season brings new botanical sights. Over the years the boardwalk has deteriorated, and this year major sections have been replaced.

The boardwalk passes through a beaver pond.

Here's a link to a previous post on the Cranberry Glades.

Wildlife - Prey and Predators

 Our wildlife cameras have been busy in the last month or so. Where there is plentiful prey, there are predators as well.

Turkey hens have been showing up pretty regularly. We haven't seen any poults (chicks) yet, but they're probably out there in the woods.

This handsome buck emerged from the woods about an hour after sunrise.

Within 10 minutes there were at least five deer grazing.

Different day - something spooked these "whitetails".

This rather haggard-looking doe was walking down the road. I can't tell what the line of dark spots along her back are - they continue down her right shoulder.

But maybe she was exhausted from recently giving birth to this fawn, who doesn't look very steady on its feet and was only 10 seconds behind mom.

Same location two days earlier. I hope the little fawn can be protected from the coyotes.

I think bobcats are beautiful. They probably can't take down a fawn, but turkey poults are easy pickings.